


Mushrooms

by JemJamJammy



Category: The Outsiders - All Media Types
Genre: Comfort No Hurt, Curly is totally a goblin, Domestic Fluff, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Mutual Pining, No Angst, a little plot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:02:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27363958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JemJamJammy/pseuds/JemJamJammy
Summary: "Tim doesn't give a damn about what I do anyway, so what do you say baby Curtis? Care to join me?""I dunno, and I'm pretty sure if Darry-""Who gives a damn about Darry right now!? Let's just go!"
Relationships: Ponyboy Curtis/Curly Shepard
Comments: 3
Kudos: 34





	1. WAKE UP!

**Author's Note:**

> Curly wakes up Pony in the middle of the night, wonder what he would want at 1 am?

Ponyboy always knew that Curly Shepard was a wild kid. The climbing up the telephone poll and the constant reformatory visits earned him a reputable name in Tulsa. Darry and Soda weren’t too fond of it though, called him a ‘bad influence’ but Pony didn’t mind. Out of everyone the brunette was buddy-buddy with, Curly had to be his favorite. He was never a tag along when he was with Curly like he was when with the gang. Hell, Pony even meet Johnny through Sodapop a couple years back. Curly though, Ponyboy had him all to himself. They met when they were five, or when Pony was five, Curly was always a year older than him. Their mothers dropped them off at the same daycare and it was like a spark and BAM! They’ve been friends ever since. Pony hadn’t been seeing much of Curly anymore though, with the school work, and Darry constantly bugging him he barely got the chance anymore. Even if he was free Pony had to sneak around to see Curly unless he wanted to be dragged away and scolded by his older brothers. That lead them to where they were now. 

It was at least 1 am, and Ponyboy awoken to the faint sound of tapping at his window. Pony scrambled out of bed, lucky that Soda was staying at Steve’s house for the night. Getting through the dimly lit and messy room, he made it to the window.

“Curly! What the hell! Do you have any idea what would have happened if Soda was here!”

“Oh losen up Ponybabe, he wasn’t there now was he? Nothing to worry about.” Curly replied with a triumphant smirk. 

“We will if you keep shouting, we’ll wake up Darry now shut up and go home.” 

“Then get dressed and get down here! WOULDN’T WANT DARRY TO WAKE UP BECAUSE YOU’RE STUBBORN NOW WOULD YA!?”

“SHHH! Alright! Just...just shut up and give me a minute…” And with that Pony scrambled to get dressed in a pair of jeans, the sneakers by the side of his bed, and a fluffy way too big turtle neck. It was chilly. Normally, someone would just walk out the front door, but he had no way of knowing if any of the gang was asleep on the couch until it would be too late. There was only one option left.

“Psst! Curly!”

“What’s taking ya so long Curtis? I’m freezing out here waitin’ fo you!”

“I need help getting out… can you like… help me?”

“...like carry ya down?”

“Yes! Please? There’s no other way to ge-”

“Yep, no problem, now get down here!”

“Wha-”

“HURRY UP!” With the startled jostle of Curly’s shouting, Pony opened up his window as far as it would allow, and started to climb out. Suddenly, he was dangling by his arms and upper body with no way of knowing how far away he was from the ground. With sudden relief, Ponyboy felt Curly hold onto his lower thighs.

“Jeez I got ya, just jump down now!”

“Okay, okay! Don’t drop me alright!’ And with that Ponyboy felt his feet thump onto the ground, but Curly’s grip moved farther up to keep him steady.

“EEP! Curly your hands are cold damn it!!”

“Aw, is the baby embarrassed my hands slithered up his shirt?”

“Curly I’m serious! You’re cold as hell!”

“I must be pretty warm then-”

“Curly not now!” Pony scolded for a final time until Curly took his hands out of his sweater. 

“Prude.”

“Wha- it had nothing to do with that! You were cold!”

‘Mhm, sure baby Curtis ;3” Ponyboy flushed at that. Sure, maybe Ponyboy had thought Curly to be attractive more than a passerby would have, but then again anyone who’s buddy with Curly would, right? With his striking blue eyes to match Tim’s, the smug and rugged look he’s always wearing on his face, and the black ashy curls that sit at the top of his head. Anybody would have daydreamed about such a pretty boy like Curly. Pony must have been drifting off again because Curly is back at it again poking at him trying to regain his former attention.

“H-huh?”

“I asked if you heard me?”

“Uh, no sorry I drifted off again…”

“I said you’re a prude again.”

“Damn it Curly! What did you even want anyways? I’m out here now aren’t I?” 

“Oh that’s right! I need you to come with me to the deep parts of the woods baby Curtis!”

“What! No way!”

“Oh come on! It’ll be fun!”

“I’ll get in trouble if anyone finds out! Won’t you too?”

"Tim doesn't give a damn about what I do anyway, so what do you say baby Curtis? Care to join me?"

"I dunno, and I'm pretty sure if Darry-"

"Who gives a damn about Darry right now!? Let's just go!" And Curly had Ponyboy’s arm in his, dragging him off to the untamed and unmonitored forest all the way across Tulsa. Ponyboy wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight, would he?


	2. I Missed You, You Know?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Curly manages to sneak Pony out of his house and into the woods of Tulsa, but what in the world would Curly want at 1 am?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally updating! ＼(＾O＾)／ I hope everyone enjoys, but it gets a teeny tiny bit sad this chapter!

The walk to the woods was pretty far, Tulsa was a city after all and semi-sprinting to the outskirts was a mild effort even if Ponyboy did take track. The dim street lights lit up miniature blotches on the poorly paved roads as Curly continued to drag him through alleyways and long maneuvering sidewalks. The cool air whipped around their bodies as they traveled, sending shivers and goosebumps along Ponyboy’s small frame. He pondered why Curly would drag him here at such an early hour; they haven’t spoken in ages after all. What could Curly want from him all of a sudden? Eventually, the pavement gets more rugged and the sidewalk becomes more of a rocky path at one point. They stop running, chests heaving and lungs capturing the cool autumn air. The smell of winter is lingering in the atmosphere in a way that’s nostalgic. It burns their throats but the memory of winters in the past means Ponyboy doesn’t mind the sting as much. 

“C’mon Pony, we’re almost there!”

“Curly… what are we even doing here?” 

“... you’ll see, just come with me okay?”

Ponyboy lifts his eyebrow at that; Curly had seemed so sure of himself before, what had changed since they got here? Curly didn’t look back at Pony, he simply tightened the grip he had on his hand before their small sprint started up again. The fallen and colorful autumn leaves crunch under their feet in small bursts as they move farther and farther into the abandoned and remote forest. Silver moonlight weaves its way through tree branches allowing them to just barely see where they go as it causes the early morning dew to shimmer and reflect the glow of light. The trees move closer together, and piles of leaves become deeper as they continue to move. Turning back, all Pony sees is an endless path of trees with no sign of the urban city they had been in only moments before. Curly stops dead in his tracks, and with that Ponyboy crashes into him and they stumble down onto the leaves below them. Then as though the situation wasn’t already bad enough, they’re rolling down a hill. Leaves and dirt get tumbled up with them as they roll down the hill and the final thing stopping their movement was Curly rolling into a fallen log. 

“OW! Aw fuck Ponyboy what- _OOF!_ ”

And with that, Ponyboy falls right on top of him. Now, Ponyboy had read about this sort of thing happening. It was always in those cheesy romance novels the rest of the gang would call lame. They were right in a way, those novels never caught his interest for some reason. This however, was NOT how he expected this type situation to play out. It was supposed to be with some pretty girl and be romantic, and Curly was NOT romantic and definitely NOT a girl. Ponyboy just ended up face first in Curly’s chest, with more than just a couple of bruises from the tumble. 

“Ow ow ow ow ooooowww!!!”

Not that he cared, his sides hurt too much to care where he landed right now. When he lifts his head, a pair of cat-like cerulean eyes stare back. Their faces are inches apart, and they just stare unsure of what the right next move should be. Ponyboy can look at Curly real up close now, his blue eyes look dark in the woods but still gleam from the moonlight. His skin eludes to him having some freckles, not as many as Pony, but he can pick out a few of them littered across his face every now and then as the moon illuminates his tanned complexion. And his hairy, the curly black locks once styled have leaves and small branches stuck in them and fall into Curly’s face. Just like that, Ponyboy’s face flushes and he jumps off to let Curly get up. 

“Sorry!! I didn’t mean to it’s just- well we were running pretty fast and we suddenly stopped and well you were holding my hand so it’s not like I could move to the side, not that this is your fault, but like I just couldn’t stop fast enough and well we fell and- oh god I’m sorry I-”

“Whoa calm down Ponbabe, no worries, I’m not complaining about the close up view.” 

Pony’s cheeks flush even brighter, even his ears feel like they’re burning. They’re still sitting there on the floor of the woods as Pony attempts to apologize while being horrendously flustered at the same time. All Curly can do is listen as he rambles on.

“Heh, you are a prude.”

“I am not! Curly please I’m trying to apologize!”

“For what? I already said it was fine you know.”

“Yeah but… I still um-”

“You got a lot of freckles.”

“I- ...what?”

“I said you got a lotta freckles babe.”

“...You have a few of them too Curly.”

“Bullshit! You look like a strawberry with all those dots on your face!”

“Yeah but you got a few too! Admit it!”

It’s Curly’s turn to blush now. He hopes that Ponyboy can’t see it in the dark, but by the cocky grin on his face Curly definitely knows he’s about to get teased by the little punk.

“Awww, are you embarrassed by your freckles Curly?”

“Shut the fuck up!”

They’re both grinning now though, it’s as if nothing had ever changed between them at all. Ponyboy’s grin flatlines a bit as he remembers how often he used to hang out with Curly. Even all the stupid shit that Curly has pulled holds it place firmly in his memory. How much he messes with Pony, the time they played chicken and got caught by Tim, hell even the time Curly fell off a damn telephone poll and broke his arm. But… after the accident everything has been a mess. Sure, it’s pretty much calmed down now but him and Curly… just haven’t had the time he guesses. Pony was depressed for weeks, and with Darry always bugging him to focus on school… he hadn’t realized how much he missed Curly until now. Maybe, just maybe, this could be his chance! 

“Hey Pony are you okay?”

“Why’d you want to take me out here?”

“Oh! Oh yeah! Um uuuh, wait yeah come over here!” 

And with that Curly is up and dragging Pony by the hand like he had been before. They’re just walking normally now, mindful of the large branches littering the floor. 

“Here!”

Looking down, there’s a log. It wasn’t any different than the one they had landed on moments before, except the mushrooms growing all round it. There were small ones scattered all about, big ones branching out on top of it, there were even some growing up the sides of the nearby trees! 

“Wow! Curly did you find all these?”

“Hehe, yeah. Cool aren’t they!?”

“Yeah! Do you know what types they are?”

Curly crouches down to get a better look at the mushrooms growing around them, and Ponyboy joins him.

“These ones there, the medium sized yellow ones, those are chanterelle mushrooms! And those big white fluffy ones are lion mane mushrooms! Oh and these!!”

Curly gets onto his knees and begins to dig around the underside of the log for a moment. Pony just sits there puzzled as to what he could be looking for. Before long, Curly pops back up and turns to him bearing the biggest grin Pony has seen him have in a long time. Curly whips around and holds up a small white and red mushroom to his face.  
“These are amanita muscaria! They’re poisonous but I heard people used to get high off these…”

“Are you sure you should be holding it then?”

“Aw, worried about me Ponybabe?”

“Yes! You could get sick from that!” 

They sit there, the excitement cooling and fading from the air…

“Why did you want to show me these Curly?”

“I- I’m not really sure.” 

… 

“I missed you a whole lot Curly.”

Curly snaps his head up to stare Ponyboy in the eyes after that. Ponyboy can’t tell what’s behind those dark cerulean eyes, if there’s any thought behind them at all. He sits down all of a sudden, and Pony feels like he’s obligated to join him. Curly isn’t looking at Ponyboy anymore, he drifts his gaze to the dark forest in front of them instead.

“Yeah… where’ve ya been Pony?”

“Nowhere, it’s just… been a lot recently.”

“Okay yeah, I get that…”

“I haven’t seen much of you either… are… are you okay Curly?”

Silence drags on as they both sit between moss and autumn leaves. A breeze swirls around the pair once again as it had before, sending cool shivers through the both of them. The forest is still, and the moon is bright as they sit, simply enjoying the other company that has been restricted for so long. 

“No, not really. It's just, Tim and Angela, they've been a pain. I love em, don't get me wrong but recently… ugh how do I say…”

“You don’t gotta tell me if you don’t want to Curly, it’s alright.”

“”No! I want to but… I’ve never been good with words Baby Curtis. Angela is never damn home, she’s always screwing some new guy every week, ma is never sober anymore because of that damn bastard we use for rent and… Tim it’s like he barely cares about any of us at all…” 

“Curly…” 

“Fuck… I’m sorry Pony I should go.” 

There’s a few tears streaking down Curly’s face. Pony is stunned… what does he do?! Him and Curly haven’t spoken a word for weeks and suddenly they’re back here together again as though nothing has happened but so much has. Curly is tuff, he doesn’t cry. He’s the scary notorious Curly Shepard who never cries and can beat half the people in Tulsa into a bloody pulp if he wanted. The leaves below him crunch as Curly tries to run off, but Pony’s hugging him from behind before he can finish getting up. 

“It’s okay… it’s okay Curly…” 

“Nah, it isn’t Ponyboy.”

“Then stay for a little longer, and so will I.”

And they sit there, surrounded by mushrooms and the change of seasons. 

_“Maybe it will be okay between us after all…”_ Ponyboy ponders to himself as Curly rests his head on his shoulder, _“ yep, everything will be okay.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone enjoyed reading! Please leave any critiques in the comments!


End file.
